IoT-connected devices and equipment automated login system

ABSTRACT

A modified telecommunications system is provided herein in which UEs can be associated with a user account using information other than SIM card data or a username and password combination. For example, when a subscriber activates a user account, the subscriber may be requested to provide a signature. A signature can include a unique PIN, a sample voice command, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, and/or the like. The signature may be stored in a data store in an entry corresponding to the user account. To associate a UE with a user account, the subscriber can provide a signature via the UE. The UE can then transmit the provided signature and a UE address to a management system. The management system can then store the UE address in the data store in an entry associated with the user account that corresponds with the provided signature.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/359,669, entitled “IOT-CONNECTED DEVICES AND EQUIPMENT AUTOMATEDLOGIN SYSTEM” and filed on Mar. 20, 2019, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/959,793, entitled “IOT-CONNECTEDDEVICES AND EQUIPMENT AUTOMATED LOGIN SYSTEM” and filed on Apr. 23,2018, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,264,446, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/441,105, entitled “IOT-CONNECTEDDEVICES AND EQUIPMENT AUTOMATED LOGIN SYSTEM” and filed on Feb. 23,2017, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,967,395, each of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

A core network (also known as network core or backbone network) is thecentral part of a telecommunications network that provides variousservices to telecommunication devices, often referred to as userequipment (“UE”), that are connected by access network(s) of thetelecommunications network. Typically, a core network includes highcapacity communication facilities that connect primary nodes, andprovides paths for the exchange of information between differentsub-networks.

Conventionally, telecommunications systems are designed such that asingle UE is assigned a single telephone number. Thus, a user of a firstUE can initiate a communication (e.g., a call, a text message, anelectronic mail message, etc.) with a second UE by entering thetelephone number assigned to the second UE. The first UE and the secondUE can then exchange communications via the access network(s) and thecore network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers may be re-used to indicatecorrespondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided toillustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended tolimit the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an illustrative UE management andcommunication routing environment in which a UE management systemmanages the association of a primary UE and one or more secondary UEswith a user account and in which a call routing system manages therouting of communications between two or more UEs.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the UE management and communication routingenvironment of FIG. 1 illustrating the operations performed by thecomponents of the UE management and communication routing environment toactivate a primary UE and a secondary UE, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the UE management and communication routingenvironment of FIG. 1 illustrating the operations performed by thecomponents of the UE management and communication routing environment toestablish a connection between a third party UE and the primary UE or asecondary UE, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the UE management and communication routingenvironment of FIG. 1 illustrating the operations performed by thecomponents of the UE management and communication routing environment toestablish a connection between a secondary UE and a third party UE,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a UE activation routineillustratively implemented by a UE activation system, according to oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, a single UE is assigned a single telephone number inconventional telecommunications systems. This, however, may beinconvenient to a subscriber or user. For example, many subscribers ownand/or operate multiple UEs, such as a cell phone, a tablet, a wearabledevice, a laptop, and/or the like. In certain situations, a first UE maybe more accessible to a subscriber than a second UE. If a particulartelephone number is assigned to the second UE, the subscriber is thenprevented from using the first UE to handle communications directed atthe telephone number even though the first UE is more accessible. Asanother example, a single subscriber may have multiple phone numbers—onefor work, one for home, one for international calls, and/or the like. Inconventional telecommunications systems, the subscriber has no choicebut to carry multiple UEs in order to be able to answer communicationsdirected at any one of the phone numbers.

Thus, a telecommunications system can be modified to allow a single UEto be assigned multiple phone numbers and to allow a single phone numberto be assigned to multiple UEs. One of the ways in which thetelecommunications system can be modified is by implementing anactivation process that allows UEs to associate with a particular useraccount and that allows multiple telephone numbers to be associated witha particular user account. Accordingly, described herein is a modifiedtelecommunications system in which UEs can request association with auser account and in which multiple telephone numbers can be associatedwith a single user account.

A user account may be associated with a username and passwordcombination. Thus, in typical scenarios, a subscriber may associate a UEwith the subscriber's user account by entering the username and passwordcombination on the UE. However, this may not be possible with certainUEs. For example, UEs like appliances (e.g., refrigerators, washingmachines, dryers, dishwashers, etc.), televisions, control systems(e.g., thermostats, light fixtures, etc.), and/or the like may not havethe buttons or interface necessary for a subscriber to enter a usernameor password.

Accordingly, also described herein is a modified telecommunicationssystem in which UEs can be associated with a user account usinginformation other than a username and password combination. For example,when a subscriber activates a user account corresponding to a telephonenumber, the subscriber may be requested to provide a username, apassword, and one or more additional signatures. An additional signaturecan include a unique personal identification number (PIN), a samplevoice command, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, and/or the like. Theusername, password, and one or more additional signatures may be storedwith the telephone number in an entry corresponding to the user accountin a data store.

If the subscriber selects a UE to associate with the user account andthe UE does not include the user input device(s) necessary to allow thesubscriber to provide a username and password combination, thesubscriber can instead provide one of the signatures via the UE. The UEcan then transmit the provided signature and an address of the UE to aUE management system. The UE management system can query the data storeto identify which user account is associated with the provided signatureand store the UE address in the data store in an entry associated withthe identified user account.

At a later time, the modified telecommunications network may receive arequest from a first UE to establish a connection with a UE associatedwith a particular telephone number. In response to receiving therequest, a call routing system of the modified telecommunicationsnetwork can query the data store to identify UE(s) associated with thetelephone number. Once identified, the call routing system can transmitthe connection request to one or more of the associated UEs.

Conversely, a subscriber can use any UE associated with the subscriber'suser account to initiate a connection with another UE. For example, thesubscriber can provide a telephone number of a third party UE. The callrouting system can receive the connection request and, using the UEaddress, identify a telephone number associated with the UE that isrequesting the connection. The call routing system can then forward therequest to the appropriate third party UE (or to the sub-network and/orcore network of the third part UE), identifying the source as a UEassociated with the identified telephone number. Thus, a subscriber caninitiate or receive a communication on virtually any network-enabled UE.

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisdisclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same becomebetter understood by reference to the following detailed description,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Example User Equipment Management and Communication Routing Environment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an illustrative UE management andcommunication routing environment 100 in which a UE management system140 manages the association of a primary UE 102 and one or moresecondary UEs 104 with a user account and in which a call routing system130 manages the routing of communications between two or more UEs. Asused herein, the primary UE 102 refers to a UE operated by a subscriberwhen the subscriber activates a user account and the secondary UEs 104refer to UEs that, while not used by a subscriber to activate a useraccount, may still be associated with the user account and can be usedto receive and/or initiate communications with other UEs. In anembodiment, the primary UE 102 and the one or more secondary UEs areoperated by the same subscriber or group of subscribers. Third party UEs106 may refer to UEs that are operated by subscribers other than thesubscriber or group of subscribers that operate the primary UE 102 andthe one or more secondary UEs 104.

The primary UE 102 can be any computing device, such as a desktop,laptop or tablet computer, personal computer, wearable computer, server,personal digital assistant (PDA), hybrid PDA/mobile phone, electronicbook reader, appliance (e.g., refrigerator, washing machine, dryer,dishwasher, etc.), integrated component for inclusion in computingdevices, home electronics (e.g., television, set-top box, receiver,etc.), vehicle, machinery, landline telephone, network-based telephone(e.g., voice over Internet protocol (“VoIP”)), cordless telephone,cellular telephone, smart phone, modem, gaming device, media device,control system (e.g., thermostat, light fixture, etc.), and/or any othertype of Internet of Things (IoT) device or equipment. In an illustrativeembodiment, the primary UE 102 includes a wide variety of software andhardware components for establishing communications over one or morecommunication networks, including an access network 120, a core network110, and/or other private or public networks. For example, the primaryUE 102 may include a subscriber identification module (SIM) card (e.g.,an integrated circuit that stores data to identify and authenticate a UEthat communicates over a telecommunications network) and/or othercomponent(s) that enable the primary UE 102 to communicate over theaccess network 120, the core network 110, and/or other private or publicnetworks via a radio area network (RAN) and/or a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN). The SIM card may be assigned to a particular useraccount and the data stored within the SIM card may be stored in useraccount data store 144 in an entry associated with the user account.

The one or more secondary UEs 104 can also each be any computing device,such as a desktop, laptop or tablet computer, personal computer,wearable computer, server, personal digital assistant (PDA), hybridPDA/mobile phone, electronic book reader, appliance, integratedcomponent for inclusion in computing devices, home electronics, vehicle,machinery, landline telephone, network-based telephone, cordlesstelephone, cellular telephone, smart phone, modem, gaming device, mediadevice, control system, and/or any other type of IoT device orequipment. In an illustrative embodiment, the one or more secondary UEs104 includes a wide variety of software and hardware components forestablishing communications over one or more communication networks,including the access network 120, the core network 110, and/or otherprivate or public networks. Each secondary UE 104 may includecomponent(s) that enables the respective secondary UE 104 to communicateover the access network 120, the core network 110, and/or other privateor public networks via a WLAN. However, while some secondary UEs 104 mayinclude the same communication components as the primary UE 102, othersecondary UEs 104 may not include a SIM card or other component(s) thatenables the respective secondary UE 104 to communicate over the accessnetwork 120, the core network 110, and/or other private or publicnetworks via a RAN. For example, a tablet may be a secondary UE 104 andmay include a SIM card that allows the tablet to communicate over theaccess network 120, the core network 110, and/or other private or publicnetworks via a RAN. On the other hand, an appliance like a refrigeratormay have components that allow the refrigerator to communicate over theaccess network 120, the core network 110, and/or other private or publicnetworks via a WLAN, but not a RAN.

The primary UE 102 and/or the one or more secondary UEs 104 may furtherinclude components and/or be coupled to devices that allow a subscriberto create and store a signature. For example, the primary UE 102 and/orthe one or more secondary UEs 104 may include at least one of afingerprint scanner, a retinal scanner (e.g., a camera), a microphone(e.g., to capture voice commands), a numerical or alphanumerical keypad(e.g., to enter a PIN), and/or the like.

Like the primary UE 102 and the one or more secondary UEs 104, the thirdparty UEs 106 can also each be any computing device, such as a desktop,laptop or tablet computer, personal computer, wearable computer, server,personal digital assistant (PDA), hybrid PDA/mobile phone, electronicbook reader, appliance, integrated component for inclusion in computingdevices, home electronics, vehicle, machinery, landline telephone,network-based telephone, cordless telephone, cellular telephone, smartphone, modem, gaming device, media device, control system, and/or anyother type of IoT device or equipment. In an illustrative embodiment,the third party UEs 106 each include a wide variety of software andhardware components for establishing communications over one or morecommunication networks, including the access network 120, the corenetwork 110, and/or other private or public networks.

The UEs 102, 104, and 106 are communicatively connected via the accessnetwork 120, such as GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GRAN), GSM EDGERadio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network(UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRAN), and/orthe like. Illustratively, the access network 120 is distributed overland areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-locationtransceiver, known as a cell site or base station. The base stationprovides the cell with the network coverage which can be used fortransmission of voice, messages, or other data. A cell might use adifferent set of frequencies from neighboring cells, to avoidinterference and provide guaranteed service quality within each cell.When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a widegeographic area. This enables a large number of UEs 102, 104, and 106 tocommunicate via the fixed-location transceivers. Although the accessnetwork 120 is illustrated as a single network, one skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that the access network can be include anynumber of public or private communication networks and/or networkconnections.

The core network 110 provides various services to UEs 102, 104, and 106that are connected via the access network 120. One of the main functionsof the core network 110 is to route telephone calls, messages, and/orother data across a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or Internetprotocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). For example, the core network110 may include the call routing system 130, which routes telephonecalls, messages, and/or other data across a PSTN or IMS. The corenetwork 110 may provide high capacity communication facilities thatconnect various nodes implemented on one or more computing devices,allowing the nodes to exchange information via various paths.

Certain core network 110 nodes may be associated with the UE managementsystem 140, which may manage and store details of each UE 102, 104, and106 subscriber that is authorized to use the core network 110 (e.g., thehome location register (HLR) in GSM networks, home subscriber server(HSS) or user profile server function (UPSF) in IMS networks, and/or thelike). The UE management system 140 may communicate with nodesassociated with various local systems (e.g., visitor location registers(VLRs), serving GPRS support nodes (SGSNs), mobility management entities(MMEs), and/or the like) within the core network 110 to manage andprovide services (e.g., association of UEs with user accounts,authentication, service invocation, and/or the like) to various UEs 102,104, and 106.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the UE management system 140 may includeseveral components, including a UE activation system 142 and the useraccount data store 144. The UE activation system 142 is configured toassociate the primary UE 102 and/or the secondary UEs 104 with aparticular user account. For example, the UE activation system 142 mayreceive a request from the primary UE 102 to be associated with a useraccount. The request may include SIM card data that identifies thesubscriber of the primary UE 102 and/or an address of the primary UE 102(e.g., an IP address, a media access control (MAC) address, and/oranother unique address). Upon receiving the request, the UE activationsystem 142 can verify whether the primary UE 102 is authorized to accessthe core network 110 and/or access network 120 by querying the useraccount data store 144 to determine whether the provided SIM card datacorresponds to SIM card data stored in association with an authorizeduser account in the user account data store 144. If the provided SIMcard data matches SIM card data stored in association with a particularuser account in the user account data store 144, then the UE activationsystem 142 determines that the primary UE 102 is authorized to accessthe core network 110 and/or the access network 120. On the other hand,if the provided SIM card data does not match SIM card data stored inassociation with any user account in the user account data store 144,then the UE activation system 142 determines that the primary UE 102 isnot authorized to access the core network 110 or access network 120. Ifthe primary UE 102 is authorized to access the core network 110 and/oraccess network 120, then the UE activation system 142 may store theprimary UE 102 address in an entry associated with the identified useraccount (e.g., the user account associated with SIM card data thatmatches the provided SIM card data). Thus, the primary UE 102 may thenbe recognized as a UE owned or operated by the subscriber or group ofsubscribers associated with the identified user account.

Before or after storing the primary UE 102 address and after determiningthat the primary UE 102 is authorized to access the core network 110 oraccess network 120, the UE activation system 142 may request that theprimary UE 102 provide a username and password combination and/or one ormore signatures. As an example, the UE activation system 142 can promptthe primary UE 102 to ask the subscriber to provide a signature like asample fingerprint scan, an alphanumeric PIN, a sample retinal scan, avoice command (e.g., an identification of a keyword and a sampleutterance provided by the subscriber saying the keyword), and/or thelike. The UE activation system 142 can then store the username andpassword combination and the one or more signatures in the user accountdata store 144 in an entry associated with the identified user account.

In some embodiments, a subscriber may attempt to activate a secondary UE104 for use over the core network 110 and/or the access network 120. TheUE activation system 142 may therefore receive a request from thesecondary UE 104 to be associated with a user account. As describedabove, some secondary UEs 104 may include a SIM card and thus therequest may include the SIM card data and/or an address of the secondaryUE 104. In this situation, the UE activation system 142 may use the SIMcard data as described above in order to verify whether the secondary UE104 is authorized to access the core network 110 and/or the accessnetwork 104 and store the address in the user account data store 144 ifthe secondary UE 104 is so authorized.

However, as described above, other secondary UEs 104 may not include aSIM card. In one illustrative example, while the secondary UE 104 maynot include a SIM card, the secondary UE 104 may include an input device(e.g., a keyboard, keypad, infrared reader that receives signals from aremote, a mouse, a touchscreen, etc.) that allows the subscriber or userto enter a username and password combination. Thus, the request mayinclude a username and password combination provided by the subscriber.The UE activation system 142 can query the user account data store 144to determine whether the provided username and password combinationmatches a username and password combination stored in the user accountdata store 144. If there is a match, then the UE activation system 142may store the secondary UE 104 address in an entry in the user accountdata store 144 that corresponds with the user account from which thematching username and password combination was retrieved.

In another illustrative example, the secondary UE 104 does not include aSIM card and does not include any input device that allows a subscriberto provide a username and password combination. The secondary UE 104may, however, include a component or be coupled to a device that allowsthe subscriber to provide one or more signatures. For example, thesecondary UE 104 may include or be coupled to a fingerprint scanner.Thus, the subscriber can be prompted to provide a fingerprint scan andthe fingerprint scan can be included in the request. As another example,the secondary UE 104 may include or be coupled to a keypad. Thus, thesubscriber can be prompted to provide a PIN and the provided PIN can beincluded in the request. As another example, the secondary UE 104 mayinclude or be coupled to a camera or a specific device configured toscan retinas. Thus, the subscriber can be prompted to provide a retinalscan and the retinal scan can be included in the request. As anotherexample, the secondary UE 104 may include or be coupled to a microphone.Thus, the subscriber can be prompted to provide a voice command and thecaptured utterance can be included in the request. The UE activationsystem 142 can query the user account data store 144 to determinewhether the provided signature(s) matches a signature(s) stored in theuser account data store 144. In the case of a voice command, a match mayconstitute a match of the keyword uttered in the provided signature andthe keyword uttered in the stored signature (based on the results ofspeech recognition processing performed on the provided utterance)and/or a match of the characteristics of the utterance in the providedsignature and the characteristics of the utterance in the storedsignature (e.g., pitch, accent, speech pattern, etc.). If there is amatch, then the UE activation system 142 may store the secondary UE 104address in an entry in the user account data store 144 that correspondswith the user account from which the matching signature(s) wasretrieved.

While fingerprint scans, PINs, retinal scans, and voice commandsprovided as examples of signatures, this is not meant to be limiting. Asignature can be any type of data that is capable of uniquelyidentifying a subscriber (or a group of subscribers).

Accordingly, the user account data store 144 may store data for varioususer accounts. The data stored in association with a single user accountmay include SIM card data, one or more telephone numbers, a username andpassword combination, one or more signatures, and one or more UE 102,104 addresses. The one or more telephone numbers may be stored inassociation with a user account when, for example, a subscriber obtainsa communication plan through the operator of the core network 110 and/oraccess network 120.

The data stored in the user account data store 144 may allow a thirdparty UE 106 to communicate with any UE 102, 104 associated with a useraccount, regardless of whether the UE 102, 104 is a traditional type ofUE capable of communicating over a RAN (e.g., a cell phone). Forexample, a third party UE 106 may attempt to establish a connection witha UE associated with a particular telephone number in order to initiatea call, send a text, and/or transfer other data (e.g., an electronicmail message, an instant message, etc.). The call routing system 130 mayreceive a connection request from the third party UE 106 in which theconnection request includes the telephone number. The call routingsystem 130 can query the user account data store 144 using the telephonenumber to identify UE 102, 104 address(es) that are associated with theuser account that is associated with the provided telephone number. Oncethe UE 102, 104 address(es) are identified, the call routing system 130can forward the connection request to one or more of the UEs 102, 104corresponding to the identified address(es). As an illustrative example,if the third party UE 106 provides a telephone number that correspondswith a first user account, and the first user account is associated withan address corresponding to a first secondary UE 104 and an addresscorresponding to a second secondary UE 104, then the call routing system130 can forward the connection request to the first secondary UE 104,the second secondary UE 104, or both. Thus, a single telephone numbermay be associated with multiple UEs 104 such that the subscriber canaccept the connection request using the UE 104 that is most convenientfor the subscriber.

Similarly, the same UE 102, 104 address can be stored in associationwith different user accounts in the user account data store 144. As anillustrative example, a first user account may be associated with afirst telephone number and a second user account may be associated witha second telephone number. The two telephone numbers, however, may beassociated with members of the same family who occasionally use the samefirst primary UE 102. Thus, the address of the first primary UE 102 maybe associated with both user accounts. If a third party UE 106 attemptsto initiate a connection with the first telephone number, the callrouting system 130 can forward the request to the first primary UE 102.Likewise, if a third party UE 106 attempts to initiate a connection withthe second telephone number, the call routing system 130 can forward therequest to the first primary UE 102 as well.

The call routing system 130 and/or the UE management system 140 may be asingle computing device or may include multiple distinct computingdevices, such as computer servers, logically or physically groupedtogether to collectively operate as a server system. The components ofthe call routing system 130 and/or the UE management system 140 can eachbe implemented in application-specific hardware (e.g., a servercomputing device with one or more ASICs) such that no software isnecessary, or as a combination of hardware and software. In addition,the modules and components of the call routing system 130 and/or the UEmanagement system 140 can be combined on one server computing device orseparated individually or into groups on several server computingdevices. In some embodiments, the call routing system 130 and/or the UEmanagement system 140 may include additional or fewer components thanillustrated in FIG. 1.

Example Block Diagram for Activating User Equipment

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the UE management and communication routingenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 illustrating the operations performed by thecomponents of the UE management and communication routing environment100 to activate a primary UE 102 and a secondary UE 104, according toone embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the primary UE 102 maytransmit a device activation request to the UE activation system 142 at(1). The request may include SIM card data and/or an address of theprimary UE 102.

The UE activation system 142 may then verify whether the primary UE 102is authorized to access the core network 110 and/or the access network120 by querying the user account data store 144 for the identify of anauthorized user account that corresponds with the provided SIM card dataat (2). For example, the UE activation system 142 may query the useraccount data store 144 using the provided SIM card data to identify theidentity of a user account that is associated with SIM card data thatmatches the SIM card data provided by the primary UE 102, if present.The user account data store 144 may return the identity of the useraccount that includes SIM card data that matches the SIM card dataprovided by the primary UE 102 at (3), if present. The UE activationsystem 142 may use the results of the query to determine whether theprimary UE 102 is authorized to access the core network 110 and/or theaccess network 120 at (4). For example, if the user account data store144 returns the identity of a user account that includes matching SIMcard data, then the UE activation system 142 determines that the primaryUE 102 is authorized to access the core network 110 and/or accessnetwork 120. Otherwise, if the user account data store 144 does notreturn the identity of a user account that includes matching SIM carddata, then the UE activation system 142 determines that the primary UE102 is not authorized to access the core network 110 or access network120.

If the UE activation system 142 determines that the primary UE 102 isauthorized, then the UE activation system 142 transmits a request to theprimary UE 102 to provide a username and password combination and one ormore signatures at (5). The primary UE 102 may then prompt a subscriberto provide the requested information and the primary UE 102 transmitsthe username and password combination and the one or more signatures tothe UE activation system 142 at (6). The UE activation system 142 thenstores the username and password combination and/or the signature(s) inthe user account data store 144 at (7) in association with an entrycorresponding to the user account identified by the user account datastore 144 as having matching SIM card data. Before or after transmittingthe request to the primary UE 102 to provide the username and passwordcombination and the one or more signatures, the UE activation system 142also stores the primary UE 102 address in the user account data store144.

At a future time, a subscriber may attempt to activate or associate asecondary UE 104 with a user account. The secondary UE 104 may not havea SIM card or any mechanism for allowing the subscriber to provide ausername and password combination. Thus, the secondary UE 104 maytransmit a request to associate with a user account that includes asignature and an address of the secondary UE 104 at (8). The UEactivation system 142 may then query the user account data store 144using the received signature to identify the user account associatedwith the received signature at (9). The user account data store 144 thenreturns the user account associated with the received signature at (10).Using the returned user account, the UE activation system 142 can thenstore the secondary UE 104 address in the user account data store 144 inassociation with the returned user account.

Example Block Diagram for Connecting a Third Party UE to Multiple UEs

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the UE management and communication routingenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 illustrating the operations performed by thecomponents of the UE management and communication routing environment100 to establish a connection between a third party UE 106 and theprimary UE 102 or a secondary UE 104, according to one embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the third party UE 106 requests a connection to aUE associated with a first telephone number to initiate a communication(e.g., telephone call, text, or other data exchange) at (1). The callrouting system 130 receives the request and queries the user accountdata store 144 using the first telephone number to identify address(es)of UEs associated with a user account that is associated with the firsttelephone number at (2).

In response to the query, the user account data store 144 returns theaddress of the primary UE 102 and the address of the secondary UE 104 at(3) to satisfy the query request. Thus, the call routing system 130receives information indicating that the primary UE 102 and thesecondary UE 104 are both associated with the same user account that isassociated with the first telephone number. Accordingly, the callrouting system 130 transmits the request to connect with the third partyUE 106 to initiate a communication to both the primary UE 102 at (4A)and the secondary UE 104 at (4B). The subscriber can then decide whichUE 102, 104 to use to initiate the connection with the third party UE106, if so desired.

Example Block Diagram for Connecting a Secondary UE to a Third Party UE

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the UE management and communication routingenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 illustrating the operations performed by thecomponents of the UE management and communication routing environment100 to establish a connection between a secondary UE 104 and a thirdparty UE 106, according to one embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, thesecondary UE 104 requests a connection with the third party UE 106 at(1) to, for example, initiate a communication. The request may include atelephone number of the third party UE 106 and an address of thesecondary UE 104. In some embodiments, the secondary UE 104 may not havea SIM card or any other components that would allow the secondary UE 104to communicate over a RAN. Rather, the secondary UE 104 communicateswith the core network 110 and/or the access network 120 via a WLAN.Furthermore, the secondary UE 104 may be associated with a particularuser account based on a signature provided by a subscriber via thesecondary UE 104.

Upon receiving the request, the call routing system 130 queries the useraccount data store 144 using the secondary UE 104 address to identify atelephone address associated with the same user account as the secondaryUE 104 address at (2). In response to the query, the user account datastore 144 transmits the telephone number associated with the same useraccount as the secondary UE 104 address at (3). The call routing system130 then forwards the connection request to the third party UE 106(e.g., using the telephone number provided by the secondary UE 104) at(4), identifying the telephone number retrieved from the user accountdata store 144 as the source of the connection request.

Example UE Activation Routine

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a UE activation routine 500illustratively implemented by a UE activation system, according to oneembodiment. As an example, the UE activation system 142 of FIG. 1 can beconfigured to execute the UE activation routine 500. The UE activationroutine 500 begins at block 502.

At block 504, a signature is received from a UE. For example, the UE maybe a secondary UE 104 that does not include a SIM card or othercomponent that would enable the secondary UE 104 to communicate via aRAN. The UE may also not have any input device that would enable asubscriber to provide a username and password combination. The UE,however, may include a component or be coupled to a device that allowsthe subscriber to provide a signature, such as a fingerprint scanner, aretinal scanner, a microphone, a keypad, and/or the like.

At block 506, whether the received signature matches a stored signatureis determined. For example, the UE activation routine 500 may determinewhether the received signature matches any signature stored in the useraccount data store 144. If there is a signature match, then the UEactivation routine 500 proceeds to block 508. Otherwise, if there is nosignature match, then the UE activation routine 500 proceeds to block512.

At block 508, an identity of a user account corresponding to thematching signature is received. For example, in response to thesignature query, the user account data store 144 may return the identityof a user account that is associated with a signature that matches theprovided signature (if such a match exists).

At block 510, an address of the UE is stored in association with theidentified user account. Thus, the UE is now activated and/or associatedwith the user account such that any connection request directed to theuser account may be forwarded to the UE. Similarly, the UE can be usedto initiate a communication with another UE, where the communication mayappear to originate from a telephone number associated with theidentified user account. After the received signature is stored, the UEactivation routine 500 is complete, as shown at block 514.

At block 512, a message is transmitted to the UE indicating that the UEcannot be activated. For example, the UE may not be activated becausethe subscriber provided an incorrect signature and/or a signature thatwas not previously provided by the subscriber when using an authorizedUE. After the message is transmitted, the UE activation routine 500 iscomplete, as shown at block 514.

Terminology

All of the methods and tasks described herein may be performed and fullyautomated by a computer system. The computer system may, in some cases,include multiple distinct computers or computing devices (e.g., physicalservers, workstations, storage arrays, cloud computing resources, etc.)that communicate and interoperate over a network to perform thedescribed functions. Each such computing device typically includes aprocessor (or multiple processors) that executes program instructions ormodules stored in a memory or other non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium or device (e.g., solid state storage devices, diskdrives, etc.). The various functions disclosed herein may be embodied insuch program instructions, or may be implemented in application-specificcircuitry (e.g., ASICs or FPGAs) of the computer system. Where thecomputer system includes multiple computing devices, these devices may,but need not, be co-located. The results of the disclosed methods andtasks may be persistently stored by transforming physical storagedevices, such as solid state memory chips or magnetic disks, into adifferent state. In some embodiments, the computer system may be acloud-based computing system whose processing resources are shared bymultiple distinct business entities or other users.

Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of anyof the processes or algorithms described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g.,not all described operations or events are necessary for the practice ofthe algorithm). Moreover, in certain embodiments, operations or eventscan be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or onother parallel architectures, rather than sequentially.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, routines, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., ASICs or FPGAdevices), computer software that runs on computer hardware, orcombinations of both. Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocksand modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a processordevice, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. A processor device can be amicroprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor device can be acontroller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations of the same,or the like. A processor device can include electrical circuitryconfigured to process computer-executable instructions. In anotherembodiment, a processor device includes an FPGA or other programmabledevice that performs logic operations without processingcomputer-executable instructions. A processor device can also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Although described herein primarily with respect todigital technology, a processor device may also include primarily analogcomponents. For example, some or all of the rendering techniquesdescribed herein may be implemented in analog circuitry or mixed analogand digital circuitry. A computing environment can include any type ofcomputer system, including, but not limited to, a computer system basedon a microprocessor, a mainframe computer, a digital signal processor, aportable computing device, a device controller, or a computationalengine within an appliance, to name a few.

The elements of a method, process, routine, or algorithm described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodieddirectly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processordevice, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside inRAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory,registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium. An exemplary storagemedium can be coupled to the processor device such that the processordevice can read information from, and write information to, the storagemedium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to theprocessor device. The processor device and the storage medium can residein an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative,the processor device and the storage medium can reside as discretecomponents in a user terminal.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,”“might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, whileother embodiments do not include, certain features, elements or steps.Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply thatfeatures, elements or steps are in any way required for one or moreembodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logicfor deciding, with or without other input or prompting, whether thesefeatures, elements or steps are included or are to be performed in anyparticular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-endedfashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts,operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusivesense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example,to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all ofthe elements in the list.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, or Z). Thus,such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not,imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least oneof Y, and at least one of Z to each be present.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it can beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the devices or algorithms illustrated can be madewithout departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As can berecognized, certain embodiments described herein can be embodied withina form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forthherein, as some features can be used or practiced separately fromothers. The scope of certain embodiments disclosed herein is indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a user identifier captured by theUE, wherein the user identifier corresponds to a user, and wherein theUE lacks an interface for inputting text; querying a data store usingthe received user identifier; determining that no user account isassociated with the received user identifier; and transmitting a messageto the UE indicating that the UE cannot be activated in response todetermining that no user account is associated with the received useridentifier, wherein a communication request intended for the user cannotbe routed to the UE.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving subscriber identification module (SIM)card data from a second UE; querying the data store using the SIM carddata; determining that a user account of the user is associated with theSIM card data; transmitting, to the second UE, a request for a seconduser identifier; receiving the second user identifier; and storing thesecond user identifier in the data store in an entry associated with theuser account.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, furthercomprising: receiving, from the UE, the second user identifier capturedby the UE; and activating the UE in response to reception of the seconduser identifier such that a second communication request directed to theuser account can be routed to the UE.
 4. The computer-implemented methodof claim 3, further comprising: receiving a third user identifier fromthe UE; determining that a second user account is associated with thereceived third user identifier; and associating the UE with the seconduser account such that a third communication request directed to thesecond user account can be routed to the UE.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 4, wherein associating the UE with the second useraccount further comprises associating one of an Internet protocol (IP)address of the UE or a media access control (MAC) address of the UE withthe second user account.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2,wherein the second UE is configured to connect to a telecommunicationsnetwork via a radio access network (RAN).
 7. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 6, wherein the UE is configured to connect to thetelecommunications network via a wireless local area network (WLAN) andnot the RAN when activated.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the user identifier comprises one of biometric information, apersonal identification number (PIN), or a voice command. 9.Non-transitory, computer-readable storage media comprisingcomputer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executableinstructions, when executed by a computer system, cause the computersystem to: receive, from a user equipment (UE), a user identifiercaptured by the UE, wherein the user identifier corresponds to a user,and wherein the UE lacks an interface for inputting text; query a datastore using the received user identifier; determine that no user accountis associated with the received user identifier; and transmit a messageto the UE indicating that the UE cannot be activated in response to thedetermination that no user account is associated with the received useridentifier, wherein a communication request intended for the user cannotbe routed to the UE.
 10. The non-transitory, computer-readable storagemedia of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions furthercause the computer system to: receive subscriber identification module(SIM) card data from a second UE; query the data store using the SIMcard data; determine that a user account is associated with the SIM carddata; transmit, to the second UE, a request for a second useridentifier; receive the second user identifier; and store the seconduser identifier in the data store in an entry associated with the useraccount.
 11. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media ofclaim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause thecomputer system to: receive, from the UE, the second user identifiercaptured by the UE; and activate the UE in response to reception of thesecond user identifier such that a second communication request directedto the user account can be routed to the UE.
 12. The non-transitory,computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further cause the computer system to:receive a third user identifier from the UE; determine that a seconduser account is associated with the received third user identifier; andassociate the UE with the second user account such that a thirdcommunication request directed to the second user account can be routedto the UE.
 13. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media ofclaim 12, wherein associating the UE with the second user accountfurther comprises associating one of an Internet protocol (IP) addressof the UE or a media access control (MAC) address of the UE with thesecond user account.
 14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storagemedia of claim 10, wherein the second UE is configured to connect to atelecommunications network via a radio access network (RAN).
 15. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein theUE is configured to connect to the telecommunications network via awireless local area network (WLAN) and not the RAN when activated. 16.The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 9, whereinthe user identifier comprises one of biometric information, a personalidentification number (PIN), or a voice command.
 17. A systemcomprising: a data store configured to store user identifiers; and amanagement system comprising a processor in communication with the datastore and configured with specific computer-executable instructions to:receive, from a user equipment (UE), a first user identifier captured bythe UE, wherein the first user identifier corresponds to a user, andwherein the UE lacks an interface for inputting text; query a data storeusing the received first user identifier; determine that no user accountis associated with the received first user identifier; and transmit amessage to the UE indicating that the UE cannot be activated in responseto the determination that no user account is associated with thereceived first user identifier, wherein a communication request intendedfor the user cannot be routed to the UE.
 18. The system of claim 17,wherein the management system is further configured with specificcomputer-executable instructions to: receive subscriber identificationmodule (SIM) card data from a second UE; query the data store using theSIM card data; determine that a user account of the user is associatedwith the SIM card data; transmit, to the second UE, a request for asecond user identifier; receive the second user identifier; and storethe second user identifier in the data store in an entry associated withthe user account.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the managementsystem is further configured with specific computer-executableinstructions to: receive, from the UE, the second user identifiercaptured by the UE; and activate the UE in response to reception of thesecond user identifier such that a second communication request directedto the user account can be routed to the UE.
 20. The system of claim 18,wherein the second UE is configured to connect to a telecommunicationsnetwork via a radio access network (RAN), and wherein the UE isconfigured to connect to the telecommunications network via a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) and not the RAN when activated.